


Lifeblood

by ChemCat



Series: Double Meanings [8]
Category: Ai no Kusabi
Genre: Ellipsis abuse!, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-26
Updated: 2014-12-26
Packaged: 2018-03-03 14:39:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2854457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChemCat/pseuds/ChemCat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Someone's tried to poison Raoul, but again, it’s Katze who got hurt. Yet, not everything is as complicated as it seems.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lifeblood

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: AnK belongs to Rieko Yoshihara.

Raoul is watching as Katze’s body is turning rigid and, after a while, the mongrel begins gasping for breath. Leaning forward, Blondie reaches for Katze’s neck to check his erratically pulsing aorta, but Katze’s momentary stillness is broken and he starts trashing violently. Without thinking, Raoul backhands the redhead who falls back onto pillows - motionless. Realizing what he’s just done, Blondie bolts up from the bed.

 

“Amon! _Amon_!”

 

His diminutive Furniture appears in the doorway and flinches at his owner’s tone. “Master Am?”

“Get a doctor! Now!”

 

Scared, Amon runs to fetch the physician. After he’s left, Raoul turns to unconscious Katze and notices that his lips have already started gaining a blue tinge. Blondie takes him by the shoulders and leans closer to feel for his breath. “No! It’s not my fault! Breathe, mongrel! Breathe! You cannot go now, not yet. Not when _I_ feel so… so alive. Breathe… Katze.”

 

Not knowing what else to do, Raoul sits back down on the bed and cradles the unconscious man to his chest. However, being a creature of habit, he immediately concentrates on himself.

 

_Should it be me chocking and dying right now? Has anyone put anything in those grapefruits? Who’s done it? Does anyone want me dead?_

 

Questions are whirling in Blondie’s head, as if he really believed he had no enemies who wished him gone. All the time, he clutches Katze to his chest in a bone-crushing grip. Paying closer attention, Raoul notices that the faint movement of Katze’s chest has slowed down even further. Unknown fear numbs him and causes him to opens his arms. Deprived of any support, Katze falls off the bed and to the floor - exactly at the moment when the summoned physician enters the room. The blood from a freshly formed head wound seeps onto the soft carpet. Raoul gets up and steps away from the spreading moisture with disgust.

 

“Master Am?” The doctor visibly cringes at the sight of bloodied Katze, but otherwise pays no attention to the motionless figure on the floor. “You’ve called? What can I do for you?”

“Take care of it—him.” Blondie points at Katze. “And then examine the remnants of this fruit. There must be something in there—”

 

On an impulse, Raoul looks down and despite of himself is momentarily captured by the gruesome patches formed by drying blood. Unable to tear his eyes away from the rusty-brown spot, he falls silent.

 

_Who? Why? Is someone trying to eliminate Tanagura’s leaders? Me? Another one of Imael Bronk’s schemes? No, it can’t be him. Right now, he’s back in prison and in no condition to even feed himself. And I’m not nearly done with him yet. Two weeks in my laboratory is not a payback enough. A whole lifetime isn’t._

 

A cruel smile appears on Raoul’s lips. Bronk’s terror and howls of pain echo in his memory. A bitter retribution. Raoul’s revenge.

 

“Master Am—” Startled from his stupor Blondie continues as if he’s never stopped. “Someone was obviously trying to poison me, but Katze had snatched the fruit before I had a chance to eat it. I want you to tell me what kind of poison it is. Should you fail to provide me with the answer, I’ll make sure you become my next experimental subject. Do I make myself clear?”

“Perfectly, master Am, however—”

“Now be silent and get to work.”

 

Being a scientist and a biotechnologist, Raoul is more than capable of analyzing the fruit himself. However, that would mean leaving Katze’s side and, for some yet unknown to himself reason, Blondie doesn’t even want to consider it. Seemingly paying no attention to what is happening around, Raoul reacts immediately when the frightened medic mumbles something while administering medicine to the still unconscious Katze.

 

_Medicine? An antidote? How does he know?_

 

“What was it? Were you saying anything?”

“No, master Am.”

“Yes, yes, you were. What was it? Speak!”

“Nothing, really.” The man busies himself with tending to Katze, but Raoul grabs him by the arm. “No, go on. I’m curious what was it that you felt warranted your comment. Or maybe you think I wouldn’t be able to understand your explanation, hmm?”

“I would never—”

“Talk!”

 

Seeing as there is no way out of the situation, the physician fully faces, now seething, Raoul. “I merely said that it’s not a poison, but an—”

“A miracle! We have a seer here!”

The physician starts quivering visibly but continues “When I tended to him the first time,” the doctor motions to Katze “I’ve told you that some fruits would interact with the medication and cause adverse reaction due to overdosing.”

“You… did?” Raoul can’t recall this conversation, but the scientist in him screams that, indeed, grapefruit increases bioavailability of some drugs causing an overdose.

 

_How could I have forgotten about this? No, no, it’s not my fault; I didn’t know Katze would be up and gorging on fruits when I’m asleep. I should have never fallen asleep. Yet… who’s brought the fruit? Amon! It’s his fault. But it was for me and Katze was overstepping and eating my food. It’s his own fault. He’s gotten himself into this situation._

 

The old Raoul would have been satisfied with this trail of thoughts, but the new one cannot fight down the feeling of guilt. This makes him reckless and anxious. Becoming a human wasn’t anywhere near Blondie’s today’s agenda. Vaguely, Raoul registers that the physician is still talking. “Yes, master Am, you must have been too distracted to pay attention. Understandably, you were through a lot. It’s so very generous of you to find the time to take care of this mongrel at all—” Blondie’s fist connects with the medic’s nose and sends him flying across the room. “You will not address him like that! Do you hear me?! And you’ll never use this tone with me ever again either. I’ve had enough of your insubordination!”

“Yes, master Am.” The physician tries to stop his nose from bleeding. Even though only half of his face is visible from behind his palm, his shock and horror clearly registers in his eyes. Not wanting to anger Raoul any further, he carefully chooses his next words. “Master Am, it would be best if I could transport the…patient to the pet’s hospital where he’d have—”

“No, he stays here. Now fill your purpose and tend to him, and then get out of my sight. Mark my words, he needs to be back on the Market as soon as possible and if this is delayed because of your negligence…” Raoul leaves the sentence unfinished, but he doesn’t have to clarify anything. “Amon,” he calls out to his Furniture, who’s standing awkwardly in the doorway “change the carpet and scrub the floor, it’s filthy.”

“Yes, master Am.”

 

Looking briefly at Katze, Blondie returns to stand by the window and sinks into his own, inner world.

 

_I need you alive, Katze. Alive and back on the Black Market as soon as I can - otherwise, I may lose control over it. I need someone I can fully control, someone who knows all the ropes. Someone obedient. But above all, I cannot allow for anybody to start suspecting that I may be bothered with what happens to you; it must seem entirely professional._

 

When two hours later the physician is gone and Katze’s breath has stabilized, Raoul turns from the window where he stood motionless the whole time. It’s the longest time he’s recently remained still without flying into an uncontrolled rage; he knows that it’s his biggest vice: not being calm like Iason Mink – the ‘Ice man’.

 

_Yet, I also don’t make the same mistakes, don’t I? I’m not suicidal like you, Iason. Still… I **do** want to live in the moment – consequences be damned._

He approaches the bed and reaches for the unconscious mongrel, whose lips have once again gained their healthy redness; only now, there is also a purple bruise in the corner of Katze’s mouth. Embarrassed, Raoul touches a finger to the damage. Then, his hand trails a tentative path from exposed neck to the covers and bandages encircling Katze’s midsection. Even through his gloves, Raoul can feel the warmth of the other human being.

 

_Other human being… but I’m **not** a human, am I?_

 

Slowly, Raoul takes off his gloves and touches Katze’s skin again; this time, he holds his hand immobile - a delicate, pale palm pressed firmly against the hot skin.

 

A heartbeat.

 

Blondie closes his eyes and feels the steady rhythm of the mongrel’s pulse. He imagines the red, hot blood running through the veins, entering the heart, being pushed out. An endless cycle: in-and-out, in-and-out. Blood: feeding all the capillaries, running through every body part, animating everything.

 

A life force.

 

He puts his other hand to his own chest and feels the same rhythm. He pushes his hand under the folds of his clothes; the rhythm is stronger there, more urgent. He can feel his pulse quickening as images of Katze start to fill his mind. Now that he _knows_ what the human being feels like to the touch, once vague ideas take more definitive shapes and textures. Raoul’s face grows hot and when he opens his eyes and glances at his reflection in the window, even from the distance he can see a faint pink colour gracing his cheeks.

 

He looks back at Katze and leans over him - golden hair creating a curtain around the mongrel’s face. Then, Katze’s painful moan pierces his heart. “Raoul, no! _No, please, not like that!”_

THE END


End file.
